Kate Winslet Pictures on October 2011's V

Kate Winslet covers the new V magazine, which is out on newsstands today. It's the publication's heroes issue, featuring photos shot by Mario Testino and styled by Carine Roitfeld. Kate channeled her own personal style icon, Elizabeth Taylor, and spoke about how they're similar. The Contagion star, who skipped last night's NYC premiere with Matt Damon, also touched on her children growing up in the city, the awkwardness of sex scenes, and her hopes for more challenging roles in the future.

• On her similarities to Elizabeth: "She was very strong in her head and in her heart, not just in the exterior and I suppose I am. To me she hid vulnerability pretty successfully, and I do that too. We all have vulnerable sides. I think for a long time I pretended I didn't have one, and I definitely do. The last couple of years I really had to pay attention to that. The great thing about acting is that you can fling it all into the mix of the part."
• On going naked for movies: "I hate it! Listen make no mistake, I just get on it. I just go in and say 'Oh f*ck let's do it.' and Boom. If you complain about it or procrastinate, it's not going to go away. It's a profoundly bizarre thing to do. As actors you talk about it all the time. You can literally be tangled in sheets, and you turn to the other actor and say 'What the f*ck are we doing?' Dear Mum, at work today I had so-and-so's left nut sack pressed against my cheek. It's sort of unethical if you think about it in those terms."
• On raising kids in a city: "I like being in the city. I like the diversity that my children are exposed to every day. I love the way their brains work. Joe turns to me the other day and says 'One day I will have a girlfriend or a boyfriend, darling. Which would you prefer?' And I said 'My Love, that would be entirely up to you, and it doesn't make any difference to me.' But that he knows! It's a real privilege. Talk about the best education."
• On her future work: "I hope I am sh*tting myself over the characters I play for the rest of my life. Because the day I go 'Oh yeah, that's going to be a piece of pie', why f*cking bother? If you do that, you do not learn. I hope I'm always learning something. So I won an Oscar. It's amazing. I've got that for the rest of my life for a performance I am proud of. It nearly killed me. I am really proud of the film. That's it, moving on."